Story:
The film is set near the end of the second series. Graduation is rapidly approaching for Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Mugi. The four of them decide to take a graduation trip to London, taking Azusa with them even though her graduation isn't for another year simply because they enjoy her company and a trip without her wouldn't feel right after all the time they've spent together. The film covers their trip to London complete with various misadventures as well as their graduation.
I only have one criticism of the film's narrative, the graduation scenes do repeat information you already got in the series proper, except they don't do it as well. I will give it credit for actually doing new animation for it instead of recycling the stuff from the series verbatim, but presumably the people watching the film are largely going to be fans of the series. As such it would have made more sense to keep the focus on the trip and dispense with the part we've already seen. That complaint aside, the film has all the charm and good humour that makes the series such a joy to watch. The narrative flows well with events progressing very naturally. The details of the creative process are woven very well into the story and it does lead to some good scenes even if the payoff is something we've already seen.
Characters:
The cast possesses all the charm and light-hearted fun that they had within the series. The interactions among them are great and a lot of fun to watch. Just don't expect the film to alter the way you see them as characters. They still aren't the most complex group of characters, but they are a lot of fun and more than adequate for a comedic slice of life story.
Art:
The art is really nicely done with well detailed backgrounds and a great attention to details. Really, my only minor complaint here is the lack of noses. Which, to be fair, is a valid stylistic choice for the medium, but it's also kind of an inexplicable one. Are noses really that difficult to draw? I should also briefly talk about the concert scenes which are really spectacular in this with great energy imbued into the animation for them.
Sound:
The acting I well done with Sato Satomi, Hikasa Yoko, Toyosaki Aki, Kotobuki Minako and Taketatsu Ayana all giving strong performances. I also have to compliment the music, which is excellent.
Ho-yay Factor:
There are some homo-erotic scenes among the girls, although not as many as the main series. The two who get the most in this are Azusa and Yui. The ho-yay factor is going o be a 5/10 for a fair amount of les-yay.
Final Thoughts:
This movie is a great deal of fun and it has a lot of charm. There are some minor issues, but nothing that should affect your enjoyment too much. Unless you just don't like slice of life stories in which case it's certainly not a film for you. My final rating, however, is going to be a 9/10. Next week, it's finally time, Dragonball.
